If they can jump-start a nearby hydro-electric dam — located deep inside territory controlled by Caesar and his followers — then mankind’s long road back to civilisation will have become just that little bit shorter.

While a benevolent, pragmatic-thinking Caesar is prepared to allow the humans a shot at plugging back into the grid, an enemy inside his own ranks would rather short-circuit ape-human relations back to the bad old days.

War zone ... a scene from Dawn Of the Planet of the Apes.Source:Supplied

Koba (Toby Kebbell) is not about to forgive nor forget his past as an abused laboratory specimen.

He sees Caesar’s grand conciliatory gesture as a sign of major weakness.

Koba makes a power play for control of the apes, and soon enough, all hell breaks loose.

There can be no denying just how impressive Dawn Of the Planet Of the Apes remains from beginning to end.

Much has already been made of the franchise’s superb use of groundbreaking performance-capture technology to flesh out its simian characters.

Leader of the pack ... Caesar (Andy Serkis) in Dawn Of the Planet of the Apes.Source:Supplied

While Serkis is an acknowledged master in this rapidly developing field, his ability to have Caesar emote a vast spectrum of feelings and reactions throughout this film is consistently breathtaking.

The scripting is sharp and thematically ambitious for an action-driven production.

The personal and political flashpoints Dawn can often generate either side of the ape-human divide are unfailingly credible and compelling.

So whether you attend this movie as a deep thinker or a thrill seeker, Dawn Of the Planet Of the Apes is going to deliver everything you want.